John (Program #45) – Life’s Prayer (4)

Because of the deceit of religion and the darkness of politics, He was delivered to death. He was proved to be without fault, but religion and politics were exposed to be dark, deceitful, and corrupt.

We’ve come today to the section of John 18 through 20 dealing with the Lord’s death on the cross and His resurrection. Generally, we consider the Lord’s death in relationship to the work of redemption. But we will see once again today that this Gospel, though certainly not minimizing the redemptive aspect, has another emphasis; the release and multiplication of life which resulted from Christ’s death.

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Numbers (Program #2) – Being Formed into an Army (1)

The first five books of the Bible are generally attributed to Moses and they formed a unit commonly referred to as the Pentateuch.  The fourth of this series is the book of Numbers, perhaps the most obscure among the five.  Outwardly it seems simple enough not overly inspiring for chronicles the numbering of God’s people Israel for the purpose of forming them into an army to fight for God’s testimony as they travel for 40 years through wilderness.  But if our eyes are open, our spirit set to receive God’s divine light, we can see the whole of the divine revelation express in picture forms through its pages.  Even the key elements of Christ’s ministry on earth and the ultimate consummation of the Bible, New Jerusalem are depicted here in Numbers.  Seem dubious?  Well stay tune.

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Numbers (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

The Bible, the infallible Word of God contains the entirety of the divine revelation.  This one book reveals everything that God has for man.  Nothing shall be added or deleted.  Yet within the Bible, from the first page of Genesis to the last page of Revelation, the divine speaking progresses.  Especially the books of Moses or Pentateuch as they are called, present us with all the great truth of the revelations of the Bible but in “seed form”.  Just as a mighty oak contain in a tiny seed, all it needs is proper growth and development to be fully manifested.  It’s against this backdrop that we begin today the life study of the fourth book of Moses, the book of Numbers.   As we begin a tremendous life study that will show us God’s people formed together as a fighting army, to fight for His Kingdom and for His House.

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John (Program #44) – Life’s Prayer (3)

We are one divine human incorporation in the Triune God. Surely, our Oneness is not just a “getting together” or a kind of “joining something”. It is the Oneness of the Triune God.

In John 17, you have a list: 4 verses, mentioning something of the Oneness. Verse 11 says, the Oneness is in the name of the Father. The reality of the Father’s name is the Father’s divine life. So, the first factor of the genuine Oneness is the name of the Father with the Father’s divine life. Then verse 21, this is deep verse, so profound! “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” The point here is this. The Oneness is in the Triune God. When we are all in the Triune God, then in the Triune God, we have the Oneness. But, here we have to pay attention to this fact. How could we be in the Triune God? Through His death and resurrection…

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John (Program #43) – Life’s Prayer (2)

We have an entity in New York called the United Nations. But, I think we all realize that the United Nations is actually the divided nations, that there is no real oneness outside the Triune God.

This passage (the Lord’s prayer in John 17) is maybe the most important portion of the Holy Word because this is the Lord’s final recorded prayer before He goes to the cross to die. And, what we see in this prayer is the aspiration of the Lord’s heart’s desire actually becomes His specific prayer to the Father. So, in this prayer, what we see is the very heart’s desire of the Triune God. And, in verse 1 of this prayer, the Lord opens by saying, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You.” So, this is a prayer for the Father to glorify the Son that the Son may glorify the Father. And, what this means is for the Father and the Son to have a full expression through His many believers. And, this expression of Himself is His glorification.

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Numbers (Program #32) – A Vital Sketch of the Divine Revelation (2)

Apparently, the Old Testament has nothing to do with the church.  After all, the church didn’t even come into being until the book of Acts.  Actually however, the history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament is a picture of the church and the church life.  If we have this view, this understanding, we will see that the divine revelation in the Old Testament books such as Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers give us a picture and a full type of the church in the mystical union with the all-inclusive Christ.

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John (Program #42) – Life’s Prayer (1)

When the Spirit as the essence of the Word makes that written Word living, immediately we receive the dispensing of the Father’s life. And, in that life we can be one with all the believers in Christ Jesus.

Upon a first reading or a rather superficial reading of John 17, we may have the impression that the central point is the oneness of the believers. Although this point is crucial, it is neither the central point of the chapter, nor the subject of the Lord’s prayer in this chapter. The subject is clearly indicated in verse 1, where the Lord Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, … glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify you.” This sets the tone and reveals the subject of the Lord’s prayer. He is praying for His glorification so that in His glorification the Father would be glorified.

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Leviticus (Program #40) – Devotions for a Vow (1) & (2), A Concluding Word

The conclusion of the book of Leviticus is a remarkable one. The early chapters present in great detail the offerings that depict so vividly that our Saviour Christ as the solution to every problem and barrier between God and man. Then come the festivals and the jubilee pointing us to the enjoyment and experience of God in Christ as our food, our rest and ultimate satisfaction. But then we are warned not to neglect such an all-inclusive provision and finally the last chapter presents the child of God making a devotion with a vow to live in the reality of all that God has prepared for us.

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John (Program #41) – The Work of the Spirit unto the Mingling of Divinity with Humanity (2)

You come into this chapter (John 17); it’s like stepping into a room where a Godly person is praying and you feel uneasy to interrupt Him. And, you certainly don’t want to come in to inject any thought of your own. So, there’s a holy atmosphere here, of the communication in the divine Trinity that only the Holy Spirit can make known to us.

I believe the prayer, in John 17, is very very significant, mainly because it comes at the end of a long message that the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples just before He went to the cross. Chapters 14, 15, and 16 give us the message that the Lord Jesus spoke on His way to be crucified. So, this of course is a very significant portion of the Word of God, particularly in the Gospel of John. And, after that long message, then He closes with this prayer. And, this prayer is so meaningful that unless you really pray it, or I should say, read it prayerfully, you will not know what its subject is.

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Leviticus (Program #39) – The Word of Warning

All children of God should have the desire to obey Him, as our Father, we should obey Him in order to honour Him. Yet do we know who is this One that we want to please and obey?  Well, the Bible reveals that He is the very God of creation and of the Old Testament for there’s only one God and forever there will only be one God. But if we do not know Him according to the process that He has passed through in order to reach man, it will be impossible for us to live in the realm of real obedience.  The processed Triune God – that’s our focus on this message today from the life-study of Leviticus.

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